2022 Recipients

Prof. Ugur Şahin, M. D. is a physician-scientist, immunologist and one of the world’s foremost researchers on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) medicines. His research focusses on the understanding of the molecular nature of human tumour antigens, novel concepts and technologies to exploit and redirect adaptive and innate immune effector functions for therapeutic purposes. He is Co-Founder and CEO of BioNTech and co-inventor of more than 900 granted patents. Şahin’s academic credentials include serving as a Full Professor (W3) in Translational Oncology & Immunology at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and Helmholtz Professor for mRNA cancer immunotherapy in Mainz, where he was the supervisor for more than 50 PhD students. He also holds the role of Chairman of the Scientific Management Board of the Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON) which is based in Mainz, Germany. Şahin has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to science.
Photo courtesy of BioNTech SE, 2022 (photographer: Stefan Albrecht)